Avs take MacKinnon first in NHL Draft; Jones goes fourth

The Colorado Avalanche were true to their word at the 2013 NHL Draft, selecting Nathan MacKinnon of the Halifax Mooseheads first overall.

The Avalanche had said they preferred MacKinnon to Portland Winterhawks defenceman Seth Jones in the days leading up to the draft.

The Avalanche, who the NHL's Draft lottery to leapfrog Florida for the first pick, said they like Jones, but felt the team's need was greater at forward.

MacKinnon helped lead the Mooseheads to a Memorial Cup title this past season, leading the tournament with 13 points, scoring seven goals including a hat trick in the championship game, and was chosen as tournament MVP. He also scored 32 goals and 75 points during the regular season for Halifax.

"I kind of blacked out for a second, but it's so cool," MacKinnon said after being chosen. "They have such a promising team and such good young talent, and hopefully I can be a part of that...

"This is unbelievable, I'm part of the Colorado Avalanche and I can't wait to get to training camp."

Jones, the top-ranked prospect by NHL Central Scouting, surprisingly ended up slipping to fourth overall where he was taken by the Nashville Predators.

"Yeah, well I'm competitive, I have a competitive nature. And I get that from my parents," Jones said when asked whether he would be motivated by the slide. "You definitely want to prove them wrong. You definitely want to show them why they should have picked you. That's not my only goal next year but it's definitely on my list."

The Predators meanwhile were clearly delighted to have Jones fall to them with the fourth pick.

"This a franchise-type player," Predators GM David Poile, said of the six-foot-four, 205-pound defenceman. "So I really feel good about our defence right now."

Jones will join one of the NHL's top defencemen in Shea Weber on the Predators blue line.

The Florida Panthers surprised with the second overall pick, taking Finnish prospect Aleksander Barkov ahead of both Jones and Mooseheads forward Jonathan Drouin.

"I think it's a good fit. They've got a young prospect, great old players, too, that are experienced, and I think it's the best fit for me," said Drouin.

The Carolina Hurricanes who were rumoured to be entertaining a number of offers for the fifth pick opted to hang on to their selection and select Swedish centre prospect Elias Lindholm.

The Calgary Flames were the first Canadian team to pick in the draft and they used the sixth overall pick on Ottawa 67's centre Sean Monahan. The Flames also selected Gatineau Olympiques left winger Emile Poirier 22nd overall and Regina Pats forward Morgan Klimchuk with the 28th pick.

The Vancouver Canucks made a big splash in the first round, moving into the top-10 by sending goaltender Cory Schneider to the Devils in exchange for the ninth overall pick. They used the selection on London Knights centre Bo Horvat. The Canucks also selected forward Hunter Shinkaruk of the Medicine Hat Tigers with the 24th pick.